Pension expenditure in Spain: a European comparison

Rationale. There is significant disparity in the pension expenditure-to-GDP ratio across European countries. This article examines the size of the Spanish pension system relative to those of other EU countries and analyses the drivers behind the differences observed.Takeaways. • In 2019, pension exp...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Martín, Miguel Ángel, Ramos, Roberto
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Banco de España
Repositorio:Repositorio Institucional del Banco de España
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.bde.es:123456789/29470
Acceso en línea:https://repositorio.bde.es/handle/123456789/29470
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Pension expenditure
Social protection
Demographic factor
Coverage ratio
Employment rate
Benefit ratio
Seguridad social y programas de asistencia social
Presupuesto y contabilidad pública
H55
J11
Descripción
Sumario:Rationale. There is significant disparity in the pension expenditure-to-GDP ratio across European countries. This article examines the size of the Spanish pension system relative to those of other EU countries and analyses the drivers behind the differences observed.Takeaways. • In 2019, pension expenditure in Spain, relative to the size of its economy, was above the EU’s simpleaverage and similar to the GDP-weighted average. • In comparison with the EU in 2019, the ageing process was less advanced in Spain and pensionscheme coverage was lower. In contrast, Spain had a lower employment rate and a higher level ofbenefits relative to the average wage. • Demographic projections suggest that pension expenditure in Spain will increase significantly. Slightlymore than 40% of this increase could be offset if Spain’s employment rate were to rise to equal that ofGermany.